Dates seem to have had a real jump in popularity in recent years…the dried fruit that is! It seems like most breakfast and health food bars now use a date-base, which is understandable, given they hold lots of health benefits. However, healthy is not a word you’d use to describe this Krispy Date Slice. Delicious though? Most definitely!
What I personally love about dates is their ability to be super tasty, despite looking less than appetising to most. Put a couple of dates in front my kids and they’d refuse point blank to even entertain the idea of eating them. Put some dates into a Sticky Toffee Pudding and they will literally lick the plate clean!
This krispy date slice is a lot like that too. A sticky base, with that familiar toffee flavour. But loaded with rice crispies, giving the base a perfectly balanced texture of crunch and chew. Blanketed with a complimentary layer of milk chocolate. Easy, as well as quick to make, and uses fruit; so it’s got to be a little bit guilt-free too, right?
Ingredients:
Dates
A krispy date slice of course requires some dates! The quality and price of dates can vary massively but there’s no need to splash the cash on any super expensive dates here – we’re gonna be melting them down and mixing them with butter/margarine & sugar anyway. Granny’s personal favourite is to buy ready-chopped dates, which also saves you an extra job too.
Butter or Block Margarine
Whether you use butter or margarine is personal preference. Generally speaking, butter lends a better flavour, but margarine is a great substitute and is useful in allowing you to omit the dairy in this recipe. If you do use margarine just be sure it is black margarine, as opposed to the spreadable kind.
Caster Sugar
As I say, this crispy date slice is by no means a health food! Caster sugar is preferable, both for flavour and texture. You can experiment with different sugars, such as brown sugar, for a less-sweet alternative, should you desire.
Rice Crispies
Looking at the photos, you’re probably expecting to see Rice Krispies in the ingredients list. Somewhat similar to the familiar Rice Krispy Squares but with dates being the main component holding it all together, as opposed to marshmallows.
Milk Chocolate
The choice of chocolate to be used on this traybake is really personal preference, however milk chocolate is our tried and tested favourite. That’s not to say you can’t switch to a dark or white chocolate if you’d like, but we’ve found milk chocolate with the chewy base to be a classic combo.
Love this? Try this:
Granny's Top Tips
• Remove your traybake from the fridge for a short while before cutting, and score the chocolate to your desired slice-sizes before cutting right through. This will help prevent the chocolate from cracking whilst you cut.
• Don’t be concerned if it seems like your butter/margarine is very oily and separating from the other ingredients whilst melting. Some butters/margarines will do this, but it will all come together fine once you mix the rice crispies through.
Ingredients
- 225 g Dates ((chopped))
- 115 g Caster Sugar
- 115 g Butter or Margarine
- 115 g Rice Crispies
- 150 g Milk Chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 11x7 inch tray with tin foil and grease generously. Set aside.
- In large pan, warm the dates, sugar and butter/margarine over a low-medium heat. Mix continuously until the dates have softened, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to come together*. Bring the mixture to a simmer before removing the pan from the heat.
- Stir in the rice crispies. Working quickly so the mixture doesn't begin to set, transfer to the lined tin and press flat & into the corners.
- Melt the milk chocolate over a bain marie, or in short bursts in a microwave. Pour over the rice crispy base and spread into the corners.
- Leave your date slice to cool a little before transferring to the fridge to set. Allow to set for a few hours (or overnight) before slicing to your desired size.
Notes
Free-from & Vegan
Nut-free: There is no nuts in this recipe for Krispy Date Slice, however be sure to check your individual recipes thoroughly for any nuts. Particularly the rice crisipes and the dates, as these especially may be at higher risk of cross-contaminated.
Gluten-free: Simply make sure your rice crispies are gluten-free, and double check the other ingredients to be safe.
Egg-free: There is no eggs in this recipe, but again, be sure to check your ingredients individually.
Dairy-free: To make this recipe dairy-free, simply use a dairy-free margarine and a dairy-free chocolate.
Vegan: To make this a Vegan Krispy Date Slice, simply use a dairy-free vegan margarine and a dairy-free vegan chocolate.
10 Responses
I love dates. I treat myself couple times a year with a box of mejol dates, they arethe best date, so plump and soft. Anyway back to your 2 slices. I just finished making this one,I dis add 2 things just can’t help myself, they are good partners, orange zest I have a tree heaving with oranges and dried cranberries. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow Tnankyou…
Thanks for this recipe. I have my mother in laws which I used to make but it used block dates which I can’t find.
Love this recipe but check the typo for black margarine rather than block margarine.
Excellent tray bake recipe!
Very easy to make and tastes delicious: crispy , not overly sweet and sticky!
Thank you for recipe. Similar to recipe for a treat called Trinidads I made at school many years ago!
How do you cut it neat?
They look great!
Can these be made with honey rather than sugar?
You need to make this, so good and so addictive. I only had an 8×8 tin so reduced the Krispies to 85gms but kept everything else as written. They are dangerous, in that, people can’t stop eating them.
Hi I cannot get dates but managed to get hold of figs does anyone have any helpful info or tips for me
Please I would be so very grateful
Thank you
Tane
Hi,
Made this traybake this week and went done very well, my granddaughter is a fussy eater but like all children loves a treat did not tell her there was dates in it and she loved it so that was a big plus I think this may be a regular bake for me thank you for a delicious easy recipe
This scored 11/10 with my work colleagues! Really easy to make and tastes wonderful.